


The Contract

by rylanwrites



Category: Original Work
Genre: Contract, Deception, Dystopian, Fame, Girl Power, Metaphor, Multipart, School, chapters, new, power, teen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24789661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rylanwrites/pseuds/rylanwrites
Summary: Public figures vs. Private livesPublic figures are the primary source of entertainment and news... whether it be people with extraordinary talent, news anchors and show hosts, politicians, or drama-ridden roaches. They are the center of attention. Private lives, however, are of no interest to anyone. They are the day-ins and day-outs of the lives of nobodies, of the average people. They are the 9-5 jobs followed by dinner and a "relaxing night in," boring.So, how does one get to be a public figure? Well, some with extraordinary talents and skills are sought out or recruited by public agencies, like the Butterfly Agency. Others are signed on by happenstance or during a try-out.Sophia Windsor, formerly Sophie, is one of the lucky few who is offered a contract at the young age of 17.  The contract would fulfill her dreams of creating and inventing new products that would help those who need them, and put herself and her family in the spotlight as public figures. The contract only asks for her signature in exchange for the goodlife, as seen in her cousin's contract, but is it too good to be true?





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original work of fiction that is being shared online. Any resemblance in character name, appearance, or actions is coincidental. More of my writing can be found on rylanwrites.com.

The contract was laid out in front of me, ready to sign with the black inky pen demanding my signature. Sara, the Butterfly Agent on the other side of the table, had already explained all the terms of this contract. What it could do for me. What it could do for my family. Why I was even being offered it in the first place.

  
Let’s go back to a few months ago, to my cousin Melissa’s bachelorette party. That was the night she signed her contract. In exchange for her signature, she gained a powerful husband and a new lifestyle. She was offered a marriage contract to the son of a high executive at some company, and now she is living the highlife because of her brains and beauty. The arrangement was unexpected, for sure, but Melissa had just finished her master’s degree and was looking for a way into her field. The terms of her contract included her dream job and a dreamy husband.

  
Now, to build some family background for Melissa, the Butterfly agency has reached out to my parents about possibly signing a contract with me. Except, this isn’t a marriage contract. It’s my dream contract. Well, it would have been if I had known that path to my dream was paved in contracts. This contract would allow me to share all my thoughts and ideas with the world.

  
“So, Sophie, what do you think?” Sara asked from the other side of the table.

  
“I’m still trying to process this all,” I looked over the contract again, taking it all in – the life changing document in front of me. “I know I can’t sign it until my birthday next week, so would you mind if I took the week to think it over and discuss it with my parents?”

  
“Of course, we can set up another appointment whenever you’re ready.” She leaned forward and grabbed the contract off of the table, filing it away in the cabinet next to her desk. “Talk it over with your parents, as it is a big commitment and would involve them and your brother too.”

  
“When would I know more about the details of the role and requirements?” I asked.

  
“Once you sign, you’ll work with your CPA to fill in the details. The CPA will fill you in on what Butterfly would like to see from your role, and you’ll mitigate your own requests with the CPA. There’s no clear-cut expectations at this point of the process because each client’s role is unique, even if they have the same job description on their initial contract.”

  
My Client Personal Agent, the CPA Sara was referencing – not to be confused with an accountant – was supposed to be the one to really get things moving in this contract. The one with the power to make it all happen. They were the head on a team assembled to build me up to the role Butterfly wants me to succeed in.

  
Asking more questions felt pointless as the specific inquiries I already had asked had been met with replies that alluded to the CPA’s or other team member’s role once the contract was signed. The agent in front of me was just a casual representative of the company set here to show me my options, with too many options to get specific about any one of them. Knowing our time was coming to an end, I excused myself from the remainder of the appointment with a “thank you for your time, I’ll be in touch later this week to set up another appointment.”

  
Walking out of the grand Assembly building in Eden was a maze. I first had to find my way to the nearest exit – as finding the main entrance and exit was going to take longer than the time required to just walk the perimeter of the outside of the building – through the winding hallways. This was the second time I had ever been to the Assembly Building, but I don’t think the first time really counted enough to help me navigate these halls. My parents had to register my brother here when they adopted him, but I was only four at the time. I didn’t exactly map out the layout of the building and store it in my memory for use twelve years later.

  
I walked the halls until I found a big red EXIT sign posted above a doorway and made my way out of the building. Checking my phone, I found the nearest bus stop and waited until the skaat could take me back to the other side of town. I found myself thinking of the contract again. The lifestyle changes were appealing. They’d be appealing to anyone. They were the primary reason anyone would sign one of these contracts. Who wouldn’t want a comfortable new life for them and their family? We didn’t have a hard life by any means, but if this contract meant that I could have a heated inground pool in my backyard and a fully stocked fridge, then I’d be more inclined to sign it.

  
Melissa’s life seemed to only get better after her contract. Because of the type of contract it was, she had her bachelorette party to celebrate signing it. It was a spectacular event at a country club in Greensboro, where she and her new husband Michael were married the next day. No one in my family had ever had a celebration – wedding or otherwise – quite like Melissa did for this event. The country club, which may have been called Starmount something or another, was a beautiful white mega-house with impressive views and designs. After the wedding (which is now my dream wedding, by the way), Michael whisked Melissa away on a Caribbean honeymoon and his father arranged for all of the guests (including myself and my family members) to explore the town and stay in the O. Henry hotel. I had been to Greensboro before, it’s not even an hour away from my house, but this trip made Greensboro seem like a whole new town.

  
The wedding venue was magical. The hotel was spacious and decorative. The sighs and entertainment was wonderful. Melissa’s contract reached out to her extended family for just this day, but continues to influence the life of her immediate family on a daily basis. She lives in a big, beautiful new house with Michael, and her parents were moved in to a new home with early retirement.

  
My family could have all of this too. I could fulfill my dreams of creating and inventing all my ideas that would help society. I would have all the education and resources that I needed to make this happen. All in exchange of my signature and my dedicated work in this new role.

  
By the time I got home I was excited to share the news of my meeting with my parents. I had convinced myself that signing next week was the best thing I could do. My parents and brother were waiting for me in the living room as I walked through the door.

  
“Welcome home, little inventor. How’d your meeting go?” He asked, closing the laptop in front of him and setting it down beside the couch.

  
Mom and Tommy sat in the chairs next to the couch. I took my seat next to Dad and filled them in on what I could.

  
“They seemed to like me and some of my ideas. They have a really nice office in the Assembly Building. I met with Butterfly’s representative Sara and explained to her some of my ideas. Like the sunscreen and hydration tablets, solar- and hydro-powered water filtration devices, and waste-free food packaging. She said she was impressed with the research I had done into those at school. Butterfly had already found my science fair results from the waste-free food packaging, so she was able to pull it up and discuss it with me.”

  
“What would they have you do? What are the terms of the contract?” Mom asked.

  
“I can’t share everything she told me in the meeting, but from what she was able to tell me I know that I’d have a team of people helping me create and put new products out into the world.”

  
“Are you not allowed to share some of the information and contract requirements that she went over with you?” Mom looked uncomfortable by this idea.

  
“Not until I sign it. The only people who are allowed to see the contract are the representative and myself. Or that’s how Sara explained it to me.”

  
“I knew we should have gone to the meeting with her.” Mom said to Dad as she walked past him and into the kitchen.

  
“We agreed that if she’d be old enough to sign the contract next week, then she could go to the meeting by herself today,” Dad replied back. Then, to me, “We know it’s not a clear-cut process, and we only know so much about Melissa’s contract.” Quietly, he said, “Your mom isn’t comfortable with all this unknown.”

  
Pots and pans clanked in the kitchen as Mom got started on dinner.

  
“Well, I think it’s cool. I wish I was offered a contract,” Tommy said.

  
“Maybe when you’re older like Sophie.” Dad rustled the hair on Tommy’s head despite Tommy’s attempts to dodge his hand.

  
“Sophie, come in here.” Mom requested from the kitchen.

  
“Do I have to?” I whispered to Dad.

  
“It’s probably for the best.”

  
“Sophia, please.” Mom asked again, only the ‘please’ wasn’t really voiced in an asking tone.

  
I helped Mom get dinner ready while Tommy set the table. Spaghetti night. At least there would be garlic bread. Mom wasted no time in telling me what she thought about the contract. When she realized that I didn’t even have a copy of the contract with me – something that I didn’t even think to ask for while I was at the Assembly Building, she insisted that if I was too irresponsible to get a copy of the contract to review before signing, then I was too young to sign the contract.

  
I nearly lost it over that one. “I can go back and get one! It’s not a big deal.”

  
“Will they even let you make a copy of it? It sounds like they don’t want you knowing too much about it or sharing it with anyone to even properly think through it.”

  
“That’s not true. I told the representative that I would discuss it with my family and think through it this week. She had no problem with it.”

  
“You can only discuss and think through what you remember, though. You don’t have the fine print in front of you to evaluate it.” Mom finished straining the noodles and poured in the sauce. “Grab the bread out of the oven.”

  
I was done talking about it for the night. Any time she asked about it or mentioned it tonight I resolved to just answer “I’ll make another appointment and ask.”


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie decides whether or not to sign her contract, debating all the changes that could occur in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out rylanwrites.com to view Sophie's contract!

I wanted to see the contract again. Give it a good read-through. Really think through what I’d be signing up for. Luckily, Sara was able to set up another appointment for us today. I know it had only been a couple days since we first met to go over it, but I wanted to see it again and be sure that it’s what I wanted. It had consumed my thoughts for the past couple of days — especially when Melissa called to ask what I thought of the contract they had offered me — and I couldn’t get it off of my mind so easily.   
Even walking up the steps to the grand entrance of the Assembly Building had me thinking about how grand my life could be with just my signature. While it all seemed so fun, I didn’t want my life to change as quickly as Melissa’s had. She went from living in a studio apartment trying to finish her degree to living in a big, beautiful house with staff like chefs and maids within a week. I wanted to still be a teenager while I could, but still have some of the fun that could accompany this deal.   
I walked through the building until I found my way Butterfly Agency’s suites, where I waited until Sara invited me into her office. We sat down across from one another once again.  
Warmly, she asked, “What brings you in today? You sent me that message pretty late the other night.”  
“I wanted to review the contract again. Get a copy to take home to my parents as well.”  
She frowned. “Unfortunately, the contracts can’t leave the Butterfly offices, nor can they be viewed by anyone but the client or potential client and those associated with the terms of the contract at the agency. However, I can send you home with general information.” She dug into the cabinet next to her desk, pulling out a few brochures with large purple print reading BUTTERFLY AGENCY on the front. She handed them across to me.  
“Thank you, I’ll give them this. Am I not allowed to have a copy for myself, then?”   
“You won’t be able to, but you are welcome into the office to view it at any time. Once you sign, you will be able to view a copy with your CPA as well.”  
“Oh, okay. That makes sense.” Only, I wasn’t sure that it did. “Can I view it now?”  
“Of course.” She dug the printed copy out from the other day and laid it out in front of me. I wanted to memorize as much of it as I could to be able to talk with Dad about it later. Mom didn’t need to know so immediately.   
I peered through it, reading or skimming through sections like the Scope of Work and various responsibilities. It all looked so official, but I think I understood most of it. Nothing seemed too confusing, and Sara had already answered most of my questions the last time we met.   
“What do you think?” Sara asked as I looked up from the paper.   
“I’m really excited about this, however,” I needed to articulate more of my desires for what my life would be like — at least normal for a bit, “I want to be able to finish school before this changes my life drastically. My cousin’s life did a 180 immediately. I want to do a 180, but gradually.”  
“I think we could work something like that out.” Sara grabbed a pen and the legal pad from the corner of her desk. Clicking the pen, she asked, “What do you have in mind for that gradual change? You want to finish school first?”  
“Yes. That, and I want to keep living with my family until I graduate.”  
“That’s very doable,” she said as she scribbled down my notes. “Anything else?”  
“Uh, maybe a couple years of the traditional college experience? Like dorms and everything. I know I have to go to college for this career field, but I really want to make sure I have a traditional experience.”  
“I include that for your TES, then.”  
I wanted to keep this meeting brief, so I wouldn’t forget what the contract said. “Good, thank you. This is all I need for today. Thank you again for meeting with me.” As I started to get up, ready to spill everything I’ve memorized to Dad, she interrupted me.   
“Actually, I have something you may be interested in before you leave.”  
I sat back down. “What is it?”  
“I got permission for you to be able to sign today. It won’t take effect until your birthday as long as you put the date of your birthday down. I thought it may be something you’d be interested in, so you don’t have to come all the way back here so soon.”  
“I – I don’t know. I really wanted to think more about this before I signed.” I didn’t want to tell her that I also wanted to talk to my parents about it. I’m nearly seventeen, so I’m nearly an adult. I didn’t need to ask for my parents’ advice on everything now. I can think for myself. Sometimes.   
“You just looked through it now, and you’re welcome to look through it again. We do have half an hour left in our appointment if you’d like to do your thinking with the contract in front of you,” Sara suggested.   
That did make more sense. I reviewed it again, and I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. With her notes attached to the document, it was everything I’ve wanted promised right in front of me. I could watch my ideas and concepts get turned into real products that would be innovative and help people. I really wanted this.  
Maybe she could see that in my face because she slid a pen over to me. “You’re welcome to sign your name and your birthday of this year when you feel ready.”  
That was enough for me to do it. I grabbed the pen and impulsively signed. 

There were now four days until my birthday. I anticipated the normalcy of school and family time while I waited to hear something about the contract, and normalcy was exactly what I got. I quickly started to daydream about would happen on my birthday. Would I be greeted in the morning to a knock on my door by Butterfly Agents congratulating me on my contract? Would I receive some news at school? After school? I wasn’t sure, but, oh boy, I loved thinking about it.   
What ultimately ended up happening after those days passed was not so fun. My morning before school was as usual. A “happy birthday” from family members and off to school. When I got to school, however, was when the change occurred. I arrived in my homeroom class and was immediately told that my class schedule had changed.   
“Sophie, you have a new schedule from the counselors. You’re going to the library after morning announcements now.” While I expected something today, a new schedule was not that exciting. I figured first period changing was a fluke of some sort, but when I looked at the new schedule, I saw most of my classes had been changed to LIBRARY. I only had art and PE as an actual class now (not that I needed PE, that could be changed with LIBRARY any day.) Looking through it, I also realized that this new schedule meant I would see none of my friends for five periods of the day. Boo.   
I walked back to my seat and showed my new schedule to Kayla, the one friend I had in homeroom. I wouldn’t see her again until lunch. Again, boo. While she was reading over it with her sad, over-expressive pouty face she makes whenever she’s upset and wants you to know it, I noticed a note handwritten on the back on the page. In the corner was a strange message:   
Take these courses at your own pace   
until the end of this semester.   
Be ready for something different in the spring.

Out of all of the days to have such a weird schedule change, I knew this had to do with the contract. I was just more surprised by the fact that I didn’t have any say in this change. Spending most of the day in the library – as appealing as it would sound on some days – did not sound fun for months at a time.   
So, that’s exactly how I spent my time. For once, I was actually excited about going to P.E. to see some of the friends I didn’t see otherwise. Plus, after sitting in front of the computer for so long, I needed a break to stretch. I still had most of the same types of classes, except they were all online, and (as the note said) I could do them at my own pace. I also discovered that I didn’t have do to them in the order listed on the schedule. I could focus on math for two hours, then do history for an hour, and computer science last for an hour and half. I could spend as much time, doing whatever order I wanted, as long as I got it done. Unsurprisingly, I finished a month ahead of schedule.   
While I didn’t get as much social time, it was great being done with classes and finals and everything else so early. I got to spend more time at home sleeping, since I didn’t need to show up to school for art until 11 AM. I had lunch afterwards, then went to PE. I was home by 2 PM. I knew I was to “be ready for something different for spring,” but I figured that just meant all my classes would be online. Maybe I could even have more, advanced level classes of things I actually wanted to study.   
Well, I found out what the difference was after winter break. My school was supposed to start back up on January 4th. I got an email on January 3rd and a letter in the mail on January 4th stating that I was enrolled in Rockingham Community College. I didn’t show anyone the email when I got it, but my mom flipped when she saw the letter, asking why I had applied to a community college so early when I still had a year and a half of high school left – and called the admissions department. No matter how many times I told her that I didn’t apply, she wouldn’t believe me until the admissions people at Rockingham informed her that my admissions was classified as College Credit Plus, so I’d get both high school and college credit, but that the application was filed by the Butterfly Agency.   
Well, my mom didn’t take my signing the contract in September so well. Dad had to remind her that now that I was 17, I was a legal adult that could make decisions and sign contracts for myself. Dad had a good way of calming Mom down, but I don’t think it went too well that time as he slept on the couch for a week afterwards.   
Now, however, she gave the admissions packet to me and left the room without saying anything more. Looking though the papers, I saw the log in code to my student account that was also listed on the email I got. I logged into the account finally, and once I navigated my way to the Registration tab, I saw my class schedule had already been assigned for me. I figured it was from my high school, but I had also wanted to sign up for some classes by myself. There was no way to drop any, and it also didn’t allow me to add any.   
Once I gave up on that, I took one last look at the admissions packet. I noticed another strange note on the back of one of the pages:  
apply wherever your heart desires for next year,   
you’re graduating early this year  
The front of this page was a copy of my transcript. It listed all the classes I’ve taken, the classes I’m enrolled in for the spring, and where it was supposed to list the classes I still have to take before graduation, it said WAIVED COURSES. It became apparent that I really would be graduating this year. If that part of the note was true, then the first part must also be. If I had to exchange my senior year of high school for my first year at my dream college, then that was a good deal. I knew what school I’d be at next year.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie begins college at Zuri University and finally meets her Training & Education Specialist from the Butterfly Agency.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out rylanwrites.com to see Sophie's college transcript and more!

Zuri University, the college I’d been dreaming of since I was old enough to understand what college is. Some of my classmates may have dreamed of Yale, Harvard, or a state school, but Zuri’s quaint and small-town feel was what attracted me. I didn’t want to go to a big school – or a big city school – and Zuri had everything I was looking for academically as well. A great marketing program that would include real-world experience working with clients and businesses, as well as a fantastic study abroad program.   
After my admissions letter from Rockingham in the spring, I was permitted a late application to Zuri for enrollment this fall. I was able to complete fourteen credit hours at Rockingham and an additional nine through proficiency testing. As the note on the back of my transcript had indicated, I graduated a year early from high school and went into college with most of my gen eds done. At first it was difficult adjusting not going to school and seeing my friends, but then I found a way to still see them after school and made new friends at Rockingham. Then the fall came. I was a semester and a half ahead of most of the class of 2025 at Zuri, so I felt there was a lot of room for me to either graduate early again or to take some classes that interested me.   
I was now two weeks into college with (what I thought was) a great schedule.  
ATH 157 – Peoples of the World MWF 11:40am-12:35pm  
CSE 262 – Tech, Ethics, & Global Society WF 01:15pm-2:35pm  
CCA 111 – Innovation, Creat., & Des Thinking TR 11:40am-1:00pm  
STC 135 – Principles of Public Speaking MWF 02:50pm-3:45pm  
CMR 244 – Intro to Global Business WEB

I had a good mix of gen eds that would fulfill the remaining liberal arts requirements Zuri had as well as some courses I needed for my majors. The academic advisor I worked with during orientation didn’t have much time to help me schedule courses since there were so many first-year students they needed to help, but I later figured out how to use the scheduling system and changed my schedule. While Zuri’s campus is only a twenty-minute walk from one end to another, I didn’t want to make that walk between classes.   
I felt pretty good about my classes. I could tell that the beginning of the semester was starting to fade away and my classes were actually going to start assigning homework and projects, so I wanted to spend today looking at upcoming assignments and reviewing notes for Intro to Global Business. With it being an online class, I knew it would be easy to procrastinate until the last minute, and I did not want to start off my experience at Zuri like that.   
I had gathered my stuff and left my dorm (which really needed a facelift, @zuriuni_dining&housing), determined to get something academic accomplished before my family came in later today to celebrate my birthday. I found an empty table outside the café that was perpendicular to my dorm and sat my stuff down. Ten minutes later, I arrived back at the table with a large black tea in hand. It was study time. I pulled out the laptop that the Butterfly Agency sent me when I started classes at Rockingham and got to work.   
I want to say that I had a fantastic afternoon studying and accomplished so much that I was a week ahead in Global Business. Unfortunately, I cannot say this. When I was about half an hour into reviewing this week’s assignments and materials, I was interrupted by another person sitting down across from me. While I have seen people sit with other students they may not know in the dining halls, I had yet to see this at a two person table elsewhere.   
Looking up, I saw that the new person sharing my table was an eccentric looking man in his late thirties or early forties. I wasn’t expecting to make eye contact, but he was staring directly at me.  
“Hello, Sophia. I’m Christopher Mills, your Training and Education Specialist with the Butterfly Agency.” Reaching out his hand, he said, “pleasure to meet you, finally.”  
“Nice to meet you, too. I prefer Sophie.” I return his handshake from the other side of the table. “If I may ask, why the spontaneous meeting?”  
“Your contract indicates you as Sophia, so you are Sophia. I recommend from this point on only being addressed as Sophia. Today you’ve reached the next step in your contract. Per your request, you were able to finish school and live with your family last year. Today, your eighteen birthday – happy birthday, by the way – starts step two. I arranged for all your education plans last year and will continue to do so until you graduate from Zuri.”  
Well, Sophia it is, then. So, this was the person leaving those notes and on my class schedule and transcript?  
“Oh, that does seem right. It’s nice to meet you. You’ve been like a mystery for the past year.”  
He crossed his arms. “How so?”  
I didn’t mean to upset him, nor do I know how that statement would make him defensive, but I didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot with someone in charge of my education. “I just meant since I was getting the notes from you, but I hadn’t met you yet. Everything was kind of unexpected, but not bad.”  
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to meet you until today. But from now on, we’ll be seeing each other at least once a semester until you graduate with frequent phone calls in between.”  
“For the education part of my contract? What would we be doing?”  
“Class scheduling and the like.” He revealed a bag he had brought with him and took out a water bottle to drink from.  
“And the like?”  
“How do you like your classes so far?” He asked, ignoring my question.  
“I’m settling in and adjusting to them and campus pretty well.”  
“Do you have enough time to study and have free time?” He asked.   
“Yeah, I feel pretty good about time for those things. I picked up an on-campus job recently too at the library.”  
“When did you start?”  
“I start this week on Thursday.”  
“You’ll need to quit. I’ve added more classes and a club to your schedule, so you’ll need the time.” He pulled out another object from his bag, a printed version of my class schedule, and laid it down in front of me.  
Looking at it, I saw that it was the five classes I was currently taking, plus two more. It was twenty-one credit hours. The maximum number of credit hours undergraduate students were permitted to be enrolled in. First year students were only permitted to take up to seventeen credit hours their first semester. But that’s not where my questions started.  
“How did you – how did you change my schedule?”  
“I’m your Training and Education Specialist. I got you into this school, of course I can change your schedule. Don’t worry though, I have everything planned out until you graduate in Fall 2023.”  
“Fall 2023? That’s only two years from now. How would I graduate with two majors in two years?”  
“Two and half years.”  
“That doesn’t make much of a difference.”  
“You’re going year-round at max credit hours each semester. You need to graduate as soon as possible to begin your career.”  
“I can’t have more time to just enjoy being in college?”  
“What do you need that time for? It’d be a waste of time, and if the Butterfly Agency wasn’t paying your total cost of attendance, it’d be a waste of money.”  
“Taking the maximum credit hours year-round just to graduate as soon as possible doesn’t sound good for my GPA.”  
“Don’t worry about your GPA, especially in the earlier classes. You can pass the classes at the bare minimum required to earn credit or to fulfill a prerequisite. If you get straight Cs until you graduate that’s fine. We’ll make sure you know what you’re doing later on to fulfil the requirements of your role per the contract.”  
Did my training and education specialist just say I didn’t need to worry about my GPA? That seems a little backwards.   
“How do I start these extra classes two weeks into the semester? The cut off for registration was on the third day of the term.”  
“Again, don’t worry about that. I still got you into the classes, so you just need to show up. You’ll need to play a little catch up for them, so focus on that for the rest of the day. I got your syllabi for the courses and you should have them listed online as well.” He grabbed a stack of papers from his bag and handed them over to me.   
I went through each of the syllabi, first looking at the class titles.   
STC 136 – Intro to Interpersonal Communication  
ATH 390Z – Pokemon: Local and Global Cultures  
“Pokemon?”  
“You don’t remember the Pokemon Go craze in 2016? Lots of people still play, and Pokemon in general is pretty popular globally. You need to learn how to create something so popular it could rival with this concept.”  
“Uhh, sure.” I didn’t know anything about Pokemon.   
Looking through the class schedules, I saw that I had four assignments from each course to catch up on. I also saw the meeting times for these courses: STC 136 met on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:15pm to 2:35pm and ATH 390z met on Wednesdays at 6pm to 8:30pm. I was not looking forward to this.   
“Now that you’ve had a chance to look at your new classes, let’s talk a little about the club you’re joining. Go to the Zuri club and activities website. Look up “Advancing Entrepreneurs.” You meet Thursday evenings at seven. Go every week. Let me know if you can’t go because you’re sick or dead. Same thing for classes. No other excuses. Try not to get sick or die.”  
Before I had a chance to finish reading the club’s description or say anything more, Christopher announced that’s all he had today, and he’d be leaving.   
“My phone number is on this card,” he said, laying it down on the table. “Call me when you need anything school related. Remember to quit your job.”


End file.
